


In His Arms

by TInyT0ny



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Aftermath, Angst, Bullying, Comfort, Description of Injuries, Hurt, Injured Tony, Love, M/M, Sadness, school shooting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 19:46:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11387109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TInyT0ny/pseuds/TInyT0ny
Summary: Brad knew that Tony was that kind of person who would take a bullet for the people he loved, but he never thought that this phrase would come to life one day.Not a Clony story. I know how much people love Clay and Tony together. But maybe you can give the story a chance. I love Brad and Tony. :)





	In His Arms

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first languae. If you find any mistakes, please let me know so that i can fix it.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read and left a comment and/or kudos on my first story CONFESSION. I was very happy about that and really apprechiated it. :)
> 
> PS: I changed Tony's Mom into his grandma in this story.

Tony was laying on his back, peacefully sleeping for a change, lips slightly parted, small snoring sounds escaping from them. It was funny, snoring was usually pretty annoying for Brad, but for whatever reasons, it never bothered him when the sound came from Tony. He couldn't help himself, it was really cute. Brad loved watching Tony sleep, ever since they shared a bed for the first time, but now, after what happened, it became a habbit. Each and every night. 

Brad was propped up on one elbow, tracing the scar along his boyfriend's chest slightly with his fingers. Only a tiny bit lower and the space next to him would be empty right now and Brad's heart would have been broken beyond repair. He doesn't even wanna think about what could have been. It's all still too fresh in his memory. Brad knew that Tony was that kind of person who would take a bullet for the people he loved, but he never thought that this phrase would come to life one day.

Brad felt as if somebody pulled the floor away underneath his feet when he got the news about the school shooting and Tony being injured. His boyfriend did nothing to get hurt like that. Nothing! Still it happened. Shows once more how unfair life can be. The people who deserve it the least, are the ones who are suffering the most. Brad sighed quietly while the fingers, who traced the scar just seconds before, are now playing with one of Tony's curly black hairstrains. 

He was sure that he never sped his car that fast down a street like he did that afternoon. It was almost a miracle that he didn't kill someone - or himself - on the way to the hospital. But he couldn't think straight, his mind contained only one thing: Tony. His Tony. 

Clay was the first person he recognized, when he entered the hallways of the cold building. He was looking at him like a lost puppy, blood smeared across his shirt and jeans. Brad knew it was Tony's blood and he wanted to puke right on the tile floor. Clay and Brad didn't knew each other that well, but when the boy came towards him and hugged him without a word, Brad was thankful that he had someone to hold onto, otherwise he was sure that he would have crumbled to the floor. They cried into each others shoulders, trying to give mutually support during this hard time. 

They spent painful hours in the hard chairs of the waiting room. Clay had told him what happened between sobs. Tyler wanted to shoot Clay for the stupid naked ass pic he took of him and spread via phone to all the other students. But Tony took the bullets and saved his best friend's life. Brad learned later from one of the doctors, that the first bullet hit his boyfriend in the right chest, piercing his lung in the process. Milliseconds later the second one almost hit his heart, missing it only by 0.2 inches. After that his body went into shock and Tony lost consciousness, sparing him the agony and pain of slowly drowning from the inside on his own blood. And that was the only consolation in this horrible situation. That his boyfriend didn't feel anything. No Pain. Nothing. The doctor also told him that Tony went into cardiac arrest twice, once in the ambulance and later in the ER. His poor love. Brad went straight to the public bathroom after those informations and puked for what seemed like an hour. 

The waiting for news about Tony's condition seemed to last forever. Clay was crying next to him, mumbling between sobs that he was sorry, but Brad never blamed the boy. He knew that it was not his fault, it was Tyler's fault and Tony's decision. Brad always felt lucky, that Tony's whole family was so supportive towards his sexuality and that his dad approved their relationship. They embraced Brad with so much love, when his boyfriend brought him home for the first time, it was wonderful. Still to this day it brings a smile to his face when he thought about that memory. When Tony finally got out of surgery, his das signed a paper, so that Brad was allowed to see Tony in the ICU. Brad hugged him tight, forever being grateful for that gesture.

Brad placed his hand back on Tony's bare chest, watching it rise and fall with his boyfriend's breathing, feeling the strong heartbeat underneath his skin. He will never get the image out of his head, his love on life support, so many tubes and wires sticking out of him, that Brad stopped counting them. When he first stepped into the room, it was almost too much to bear. It's not possible to prepare yourself for something like this. Seeing the person he loved so much, more dead than alive. It was harrowing. Brad had stumbled towards the bed, felt as if his legs would give out underneath him any moment. 

His love looked so fragile, so tiny, so broken. Brad was an emotional wreck, barely holding back his tears, but he wanted to stay strong for his boyfriend. All he wanted was kissing Tony so badly, but his boyfriend's lips had been occupied by a breathing tube so he bent down and kissed him tenderly on his forehead instead. Brad brought Tony's silver ring with him, it was a present from Tony's grandfather and his boyfriend wore it every day, on his right ring finger. Clay found it on the floor of the ambulance, after they brought Tony to the emergency room. The ring lay lonely in a puddle of blood, it must have slipped off Tony's finger when they worked on his body after his heart stopped beating. Clay gave it to him after they hugged in the hallway. Brad took Tony's limp hand and put the ring back on where it belonged. He carefully kissed the back of his hand while tear after tear escaped his eyes. 

He held his lifeless hand in his, squeezing it and hoping for a squeeze back, but it didn't happen. Not that day. Not the next and not the day after that. Brad would not call himself religious, he never goes to church on sundays and the last time he saw one inside was when is grandfather died. But that didn't meant he didn't believe in God. He did. And that day he found himself praying for his boyfriend, in between silent tears, begging God to not take him away from him. That he is way too young to leave earth, that he deserves better than that. Begging him to watch over Tony and guiding him back home.

On the second day Brad felt like he was suffocating, not able to handle the situation at all. Tony's Dad suggested to get some fresh air while picking up Tony's Mustang which was still in the parking lot of the school. Knowing his boyfriend, he was sure he wanted his baby to be somewhere safe, so he agreed. Unfortunately the mustang was not unharmed when they arrived. It looked like another vehicle smashed into the driver's side of the parked car while being in a panic to get away from school as fast as possible. Thankfully Tony's dad was a mechanic and knew what to do, so they kept it a secret from his love. There was no need to add more stress to his already hurting boyfriend.

It was the sixth day of this horrible nightmare they all were stuck in, when Brad finally felt a squeeze back. It was tiny, almost unnoticable, but Brad's heart skipped a beat. He rushed out of the room to get a doctor and when he was allowed back in, Tony's eyes were open, the breathing tube removed. His boyfriend was looking at him and Brad was screaming with joy on the inside, he feared he would never see those big brown eyes again. He held Tony's face in his hands and after six days he planted the softest kiss on his boyfriend's lips. 

The first thing Tony whispered was that he loved Brad. The second thing was the question if Clay was okay. Brad joked about his mission being accomplished and that there was no scratch on his best friend. He tried to be funny but he felt already tears forming in his eyes, clouding his vision. After seeing the small smile Tony gave him, he couldn't help but burst into tears. He lowered himself down on the chair, laid his head on his boyfriend's stomach and cried into the sheets. He couldn't stop, even if he wanted to. He felt the touch of Tony's hand on his head, slowly stroking his hair and whispering soothingly words. It should have been the other way around, Brad knew that, but he wasn't able to be strong anymore. And with Tony around he doesn't have to be. Brad's fingers were searching for Tony's right hand, squeezing it tight once he found it and felt an immediate squeeze in return. They had stayed like that for some time, Brad's sobs and the beeping of Tony's heart monitor the only sounds in the otherwise quiet room.

Brad snapped out of his thoughts when Tony started to stir next to him, his body getting tense. Brad knew the first signs of the nightmares, which plagued Tony night after night and robbing him his much needed sleep. There wasn't much he could do, usually he pulls his love closer, holding him tight, but sometimes, when the nightmares are too bad, he didn't have another choice but to wake him up. Couple of days ago, it got so bad, that he trashed around the bed and hit Brad right in the eye with his fist, leaving it bruised. Tony was so mortified when he realized what he did, that he wanted to sleep on the couch or going back to his parents. Of course that was not an option for Brad, it was nice to have Tony by his side. He is adding a feeling of home to his dorm room, keeping him calm. Brad reached his hand up to his boyfriend's face, gently stroking his cheek which seemed to relax Tony a bit. 

Brad had nightmares too. Not like Tony's, where he dreams getting shot over and over again and dying alone. No, his were about the afternoon of Tony's second day in the ICU. Brad had studied silently for a test, sitting on a chair next to his boyfriend's bed, when an earpiercing sound had pullled him out of his thoughts. Before he had the chance to grasp what had happened, doctors and nurses rushed in and kicked him out. Brad was left standing outside, hands and forehead pressed against the wall that seperated him from the room where his boyfriend was fighting for his life. He felt so helpless, everything was hurting, it was as if he was dying too. That was the point where Brad couldn't take it anymore. He was so terrified. He had spent the rest of the minutes - it felt like hours but it really had been only minutes - sitting on the floor, with the back to the wall, face buried in his arms, knees as tight to his body as possible, thinking if Tony died, he just wanted to disappear with him. Tony's oldest brother had his arms around him, hushing him while Brad shed endless tears. He guessed that was a Padilla-Family-Habbit, always being there for others, even though they are hurting on their own. Thankfully God did not take Tony away from him, but in his nightmares he does. Every single time. After waking up Brad always needed to be close to Tony, feeling his boyfriend's soft warm skin underneath his fingers, reassuring him that he was still here, still breathing, still alive.

Tony made a whining noise next to him and started trashing around a bit. Brad carefully shook his boyfriend's shoulder until Tony's eyes snapped open, a loud gasp escaping his mouth. "Hey, it's okay ... You are safe ... just a nightmare." His boyfriend turned on his side, facing Brad with a look of terror in his eyes. Brad pulled Tony into his arms, his heart was racing, he could feel it pounding heavy against his boyfriend's skin. They stayed like that until Tony was calm again and the tremble in his body faded.

Tony slowly sat up on the bed, putting his hand over his mouth before letting out a long yawn. Brad's heart ached for his boyfriend, sleep should make him feel better not worse. He can't even remember anymore the last time his love was really well rested. He seemed to be constantly tired, the dark bags under his eyes already a permanent thing. The alarmclock on the nightstand told Brad that it was already past midnight. Tony stretched his limbs a bit to get some of the tiredness out of his body, while looking over to the table where he saw a pile of bowls on top of it. 

"What is that?" he asked with a confused voice while meeting Brad's eyes.  
"Your grandma was here when you were sleeping, she brought us homecooked meals for the next couple of days. Guess she thinks i can't cook. Wonder who told her that." Brad was smiling at Tony who grabbed a pillow and smacked it playfully across his head. "I never said you can't cook, i descriped it as 'special'."  
"Special? You ate everything from the last meal i cooked."  
"Because i was raised being polite. Didn't want to hurt your feelings."  
Brad was silent for a moment, looking deep into his boyfriend's eyes, his mouth slowly forming a warm smile,"Oh my god ... you are too cute."  
"Yeah because that is what every man wants to hear, being cute." Tony laughed, shaking his head at Brad who had his tongue stuck out like a little child. 

"You know, " Tony started to move out of the bed, painfully slowly, he still wasn't a hundret percent yet, "my grandma will not be happy if all the food goes to waste. We should put it in the fridge." Getting off the edge of the bed was much more tiring than he wanted to admit. He still felt fatigued and out of breath quickly. The doctors told him that he had to be patient, it takes some time until the body fully recovered. Brad was watching his boyfriend's attempt and quickly got up. "Wait, i will do that." He hopped out of the bed, bare feet touching the cool wooden floor and was at the fridge in an instant.  
"You will be a great housewife." Tony rested his body slowly back on the soft pillow while his gaze followed his boyfriend. He covered himself up again from the waist down. "Even though i can't cook?"  
" We will work on that. Plus you have other qualities."  
Brad blushed a bit and laughed out loud, while putting bowl after bowl into the fridge.

"I still feel ... ," Tony's raspy voice filled the room again and Brad turned around to face his boyfriend, " ... I still feel that we are guilty of what happened at the school. If we would have been nicer to him, Tyler would have never snapped like that." Brad exhaled sharply, putting the bowl in his hand back on the table. He tried not to sound angry. "No Tony. Don`t go there. First you take the blame for Hannah and now for that asshole too? No. It was his fault, all the awful things he did was his fault, he is the only one to blame for all the misery and hurt he had caused. I forbid you to take any blame."

Tony picked on the white sheets, continuing to talk as if he hadn't heard Brad. "If people would have been just a little bit nicer to him, standing up for him just one time, maybe this tragedy could have been prevended. " Brad's face hardened with anger. "You told me that Alex stood up for him. And, did it change anything? No, he still murdered 6 people and injured 12 others, including you." Tony looked up with watery eyes. Brad let out a sigh, he didn't wanted to upset him. He slowly walked towards his boyfriend, who continued to talk with a small voice. "I looked away too. I saw more than once how the guys bullied him, but i was scared to be a victim again, so i looked away. Every single time. " Tony sighed, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand while looking down on his lap, "your boyfriend is not so nice and perfect as you thought ..." 

Brad sat down on the edge of the bed, lifting his hand and placing his fingers under Tony's chin, turning his head in his direction. "I never thought you are perfect. Show me one person who is. Nobody is. I remember the stories you told me about getting bullied when you were younger. I saw the scars. I don't blame you for not wanting to be the victim again." Tony managed to put tattoos over most of the scars, some are still visible though, reminding him daily how once school was a horrible nightmare for him. 

He always had been an easy target because he was so small. His bullies always worked carefully, never hurting him in public, always dragging him to places where they were alone and leaving wounds and bruises where nobody else could see them. It started with insulting words about his ancestry and height, continued with getting pushed into lockers, cigarettes being burned out on his skin, getting choked so hard that he was left gasping for air on the floor for minutes and ended months later with three broken bones in his skull when one of his bullies smashed his head so hard into the concrete wall of the school building that Tony practically could hear the sickening sound of bones breaking. He dragged himself around school with a terrible headache until he fainted during gym class and was taken to the ER. His parents were horrified when he finally opened up to them and his brothers took things in their own hands. After that, the bullying stopped.

"They hurted you so much Tony, still you never snapped, you never hurt someone. You still tried to be a kind person. People may have contributed in how Tyler felt. But still it was his decision to buy all the guns and organize a bloodbath. He is the only one to blame. Not you, or anybody else ... Okay?" Tony nodded silently. He ran his fingers through his hair before placing his hands in his lap, starting to fidge around with his ring, a sign for Brad that his love was uneasy. "You okay Tony? You look a little pale," he asked softly while looking at him with concerned eyes. His boyfriend nodded again. Brad stood up nevertheless, went back to the small kitchen, filled a glass with cold water and slowly made his way over to Tony again. He sat down on the mattress while handing the glass to his boyfriend. His love grabbed it thankfully, taking slowly small sips from it. The cool liquid felt great against his dry throat. 

Brad leaned forward and placed his lips on Tony's mole on the side of his chin. He loved doing that. His boyfriend hated that mole, often talking about getting it removed some day. But Brad loved this little imperfection on his beautiful face with the perfect formed nose, the big brown teddy bear eyes, the long, full eyelashes every girl would be jealous of. Everytime he showered Tony's face with kisses, the mole was the first part his lips touched. And he can always feel the smile forming on his boyfriend's face seconds later. Just like now. He rested his forehead against Tony's, staying like that for a little while, before pulling him into a bear hug which his love returned while being careful to not spill any water onto the sheets. "Thank you", Tony's voice sounded muffled against his shoulder. Brad gently kissed his boyfriend's neck before letting go of him, remembering that there were still some bowls on the table which should be in the fridge by now.

"They moved my appointment up an hour for tomorrow," Tony spoke again while rubbing his tired eyes, "sorry, I forgot to tell you ... do you still have time to come with me?" Brad's Mom was the one who suggested that Tony might wanna see a trauma counselor after Brad had met her one afternoon for tea. It was not only the nightmares that worried him. During some nights he could hear Tony silently crying into his pillow, only occasionally a muffled sound escaping into the quiet room. Brad always laid still, almost frozen on the other side of the bed, back facing his boyfriend. Wanting to comfort him but at the same time afraid to move and violating Tony's privacy. With each muffled sob his heart ached a bit more. In those moments he hated Tyler the most. Wanted to hurt him the same way he has hurted his love. But he knew that it would make things only worse instead of better. Brad always stirred a bit before turning around, giving Tony some time to regain his composure. It's the same scenario every time.They look at each other, red puffy eyes giving away his boyfriend's secret, but both of them not mentioning it, Tony just crawls into Brad's waiting arms, holding tight onto him as if his life depended on it. Brad had been a bit nervous about adressing the issue, but he felt instantly relieved when his love agreed to do the appointments without much hesitation. 

"Of course", Brad stuffed the last bowl into the small frigde, "I can skip the first two classes, they are not that important." Tony ran his thumb slowly up and down on the side of the cold glass. "I don't want that your grades suffer because of me." His voice sounded sad. "Don't worry about that. I am one of those people who can learn everywhere and anytime." Brad put a smile on his face and Tony's worried face softened a bit. "Can you ... ", his love stopped for a moment, trying to find the right words, "... can you maybe come inside with me this time?" Brad usually sat in the waiting room, reading magazines until his boyfriend was finished. Then they rewarded themselves with something nice, like coffee or brunch. "Yes, whatever helps you." Brad closed the door of the frigde, fished something out of the drawer and went back to the bed. 

"I have something for you." He held a white envelope in front of Tony's face. His boyfriend put the waterglass on the nightstand and grabbed the envelope slowly, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it. "What is it?" Tony's voice sounded curious and he looked at Brad for answers. "A gift for you. Open it." Brad kneeled on the mattress, smiling sweetly at his love. His boyfriend carefully opened it and looked inside. "Brad ... " He pulled the gift out which left him speechless. 

"You told me once that you - even though you are from Puerto Rican ancestry - you have never been there. So i thought, why not going there, just you and me. Far away from all the trouble and stress." It was an easy task for Brad to find the right gift for Tony. His love needed a break so badly, he deserved one more than anybody else he knew. Everything that happened was weighting so heavy on Tony's heart and shoulders. Brad only managed very slowly and patiently to remove the weight bit by bit so that his boyfriend could stand a little bit taller again, feeling a little bit lighter, a little bit happier, slowly becoming his old self again even though there was still a long road ahead of them. But Brad was determined to do everything nessessary for Tony to get there. 

"This is wonderful ... thank you." Tony pulled Brad closer and kissed him softly. "But there are three tickets." His boyfriend's voice sounded surprised. "Look closer," Brad said with a smile and watched as Tony's eyes widened. "You did not-" "Yes I did. Your baby gets shipped to Puerto Rico a day earlier than our flight, so that she will already wait for you in the parking lot when we arrive at the airport. We can cruise around in your Mustang and visit all the places you wanna see."

Tony's eyes filled with tears, he was so moved by the present. He bit is lower lip while reaching out and pinching Brad's arm. "Ow, I surprise you and you hurt me in return?" Brad asked, lips pouted in a playful manner, arms jokingly crossed in front of his chest. "Sorry, just wanted to make sure that you are real." Tony answered with a cracked voice. He moved forward and kissed Brad. "Thank you for this wonderful gift." He kissed him again. "Also thank you ...", a third kiss landed on his lips, "for taking care of my mustang and for getting her repaired." One last kiss and Tony pulled away. Brad stared at him in disbelief. 

"What?! Did you really think i would not notice when you change something on my car? Would you not notice when i come to you and have a different ear stuck to the side of my head?" Brad smiled, "Of course i would, i know every inch of your body as if it was mine." "Exactly." Brad started blushing a bit. "I am sorry for trying to keep it a secret from you." Tony moved his hand up and carefully touched the bruised skin on Brad's left eye. "And I am sorry about that." Brad took Tony's hand in his, stroking it with his thumb. "Don't worry. You didn't do it on purpose. It`s just a black eye, the doctors think i will survive." His boyfriend started laughing and Brad smiled too, happy to see his love happy. 

Tony put the tickets and the envelope on the nightstand and padded the empty space next to him. Brad crawled onto the bed and under the cover. Tony immediately snuggled up on him, head resting on Brad's chest. Brad folded his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders, holding him tight. They were together since eight months now, but Brad already knew that he wanna spend the rest of his life with Tony. This is where he belongs. In his arms.

THE END


End file.
